Class is in Session: American Indian Education Spotlight

Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

In the second and third episodes in our Class is in Session series, we focus on hearing from American Indian students about how they navigated school segregation and desegregation inside and outside of the classroom. Using a combination of government records and oral histories, join host John Horan and producers Josh Hager and Annabeth Poe for an overview of American Indian public education across the state over time. Then, learn about the conditions of American Indian schools prior to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Finally, listen to students describe their experiences integrating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in their own voices in part one, and their experiences integrating local white public schools in part two.

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including language that reflects outdated, biased, and/or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence.

Collections Used for Research

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project, 2022-2024. State Archives of North Carolina. OH.010.

“East Carolina Indian School (I-97).” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, January 3, 2024. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/east-carolina-indian-school-i-97.

“Enrollment Data - Interactive Data Dashboard.” The University of North Carolina System, Fall 2023. https://www.northcarolina.edu/impact/stats-data-reports/interactive-data-dashboards/.

Normal Schools for African American Students Files, 1900-1924: Pembroke-Cherokee Indian School. Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education. Special Subject File, Box 3.

Robeson County High School Annual Reports, 1950-1955. Department of Public Instruction Record Group, Division of Instructional Services, Supervision and Curriculum Section, High School Principal’s Annual Reports, Box 18.